Part 3/9:
Westbrook's arrival in Los Angeles effectively signaled an end to the contributions of key role players such as Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell. The salaries of Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis left the Lakers with an unbalanced roster lacking depth. This instability came to a head as Westbrook's style of play created spacing issues that compounded the team's shortcomings, leading to one of the most challenging seasons in Lakers history. Compounding this was a perception of Westbrook as a "toxic" locker room presence, marking a stark contrast from his early career.